Father's Day
by The Animanga Girl
Summary: So, father's day is around the corner, and our character need to spend some quality time with their fathers. What kind of secrets are under this date? Could it be forgiveness even if it is not Christmas...?
1. Unwanted and Unexpected Visitors

"Moooom" grunted Ted as he put his shoes and a blue shirt "I don't want to go..." he said for the hundeth time

"Teddie, we've talked about this, your...father" she said spitting the word a bit "Only asks for Father's Day to be with you, he doesn't ask you to be with him on Christmas, on new year, or his birthday or during any other time, so please honey, try to be nice..." she said as she accommodate his hair.

"Why should I?" he asked crossing his arms "He left us , didn't he? Is not like he was a war hero, or a busy man, he is just an over sized kid"

Helen sighted

"Please, honey?"

"I'll prefer to spend the day with the Once Ler, he is way better parent, an he isn't even one, I'll like way better to be fixing his house or watering the Truffula sprouts or talking with the Lorax or..."

"Ted, I get it but until you are 18 you'll need to deal with it, who knows, may be you can bond with him, form a good Father-Son relationship..."

Ted look at her with a raising eyebrow "Seriously mom?"

His mother sighted "Be prepared, he'll arrive in every moment"

Ted grumbled again "Curse him and his absurdly good punctuality"

"Well, he needed a good quality in his body..." said Helen out loud not registering she hadn't just tough it.

Then the 8:00 am sounded and not ten seconds has passed by when the doorbell ringed. Ted reluctantly stood up and answered the door,and he was not surprised on what he saw. A middle aged man, with a motorcycle helmet under his arm, leather jacket and spiked hair.

"There is my favorite son!" he said as he pulled Ted into a tight hug.

"I...I...I'm your only son, Carl" he said gasping for air after the hug ended.

"Right, that's why you are my favorite" he said as he saw the mother of his son with a mild face and crossed arms.

"Hi Helen" he said awkwardly as he put his hand in front of her.

She didn't uncrossed her arms.

"Carl" she said as greeting "I want him here Midnight sharp, with no broken bones, no lose teeth , not rashes, allergies, dog bites, sun burns, starvation, dehydration, cuts, bruises or traumas, is that clear?" she said removing her glasses, something that only put her in a more dangerous position.

He shifted uncomfortably "Yes ma'am" then he turned to Ted, "let's go kiddo, I'll show you where I work now" as he handled Ted the helmet.

Ted grunted a little bit and put the sweaty helmet on as he hoped to the back of the motorcycle.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

_Meanwhile in the far end of town where the grass__ now__ grows. And the wind smell __sweet and pure__ as it blows, and __all__ birds sing __specially Swamy Swans and Humming fishes hum__. In the street of the __Returned__ Lorax._

The Once Ler woke up at the sound of knocking at his door. He stretched and yawn as he woke up. "In moments like this is when I regret removing the hammer at the door." he said as he washed his face and putted his scarf and gloves on. "Mustache, if you want pancakes you better put the ingredients out" he said as he headed to the door.

"Why so early beanpole?" asked the guardian putting the milk out

"Someone is knocking, and I don't think is Ted, he said he had family business today..." he pulled the lock and opened the door, and he was no where prepared on who was at the door.

"Chet! Bret?" he said as he gasped

"Long time no seeing you lil' brother"

"What do you want? There is no more factory of Thneeds , and if you think you are damaging the sprouts, then you are very wrong..." he threatened as his hand got closer to the ax by the door.

Bret responded first

"Easy Oncie!" he said holding his hands before him "We came here in peace"

"Yeah, is this the way you receive your brother after more the 30 years?" added Chet

The Once Ler put his hand crossed in his chest

"What do you want?" he asked sourly

"Can we come in? It has been a long journey..."asked Bret

"Only if you tell me why are you here" he said glaring at both of them.

"Fine" responded Chet "It's about Mother"

The Once Ler wasn't sure if he wanted to shut the door on their faces on invite them in.

"And about Father" added Bret

There was an awkward silence

"Fine" responded the Once Ler as he removed himself from the door "but make it fast"

"It's a nice house" commented Chet

The Once Ler nodded "The kid had a good taste"

"The kid?" asked Bret

"Yeah, the Kid, Ted, he is the responsible the forest is starting again, he is a good kid, still a bit immature but I owe him more than I could give him." he sighted "You may have a seat" he gesture.

They sat down in silence

"So what is it about?" asked the Once Ler impatiently

"Well" began Chet "It is a delicate topic" he said opening a briefcase with various letters. "Mom...well, she...she reunited with Father a couple of years ago."

"Oh" responded the Once Ler feeling his chest compress and his eyes water. Yeah she probably had been the worst mother in history of mothers, but she was still his mother.

"Do you need a second, bro?" asked Bret handing him a handkerchief.

"No, no" he said raising his hand "please continue" he said removing his hat revealing his very fuzzy white hair.

Chet sighted"Well, she did mention you in her will, she left you the old car, we investigate and it's actually worth a small fortune...if you fix it..." said tapping his fingers against the briefcase.

The the Once Ler needed to do a question he knew that the answer will hurt him, but he needed the truth. "Did Mother, ever, mentioned me again after, you know...the whole Thneed fiasco...?"

Both twins looked at each other unsure. "Well" they said at unison "She did, but every time she mentioned you was when she was, you know a little friendly with the booze" Bret continued "When she was 'friendly' she was always comparing you with Father, and I got to tell you Oncie, you are his splitting image if he had...you know lived long enough, you even have his chin..."

Chet cleared his throat. "But there was this occasion, like a year after the factory closed and everything Mother became a little _too much _friendly with the booze and she was in that stage when people began pondering in all the mistakes of their lives and so and she did mentioned you saying '_I'm the worst mother and person ever ,I left the smallest of my kids broken in that rotten wasteland, my baby my baby' _ Well, as you can guess she didn't remember a thing the next day, and it took like five years to her stop bashing the poor trees, creatures and Thneeds.

There was a silence again.

"But that isn't why we came here" Bret continued "You see, a couple of weeks ago we began cleaning thru Mother's stuff, you know sorting cleaning and stuff, and we find this" he said grabbing thorn letters out of the briefcase. "We find three letters addressed at you, that we assumed you never received, since they were stashed in a cabinet by mother's bed."

Chet took the word "We grown curious and parched the letters back together, and uh..." the youngest twin was out of words.

"You should read it yourself" he said handing the letters to his brother. The Once Ler took it cautiously and fliped it over.

"Before you read it, Once" stared Bret "I need to know something"

"What is it?" asked the Once Ler

"Did you ever...leave? Did you really spend all your youth in this former wasteland?"

The Once sighted gently. "No, I never leaved, ever since Thneed Co. fell I've been here regretting everything I've done, well at least up until the kid came by..."

The twins looked at each other

"Once Ler" the said at unison "We are sorry"

"What?" asked the Once Ler surprised

"We are the worst kind of older brothers ever, while you sit here consuming yourself we got lives, we got married and had kids, while you spend your days trapped in a guilt that it wasn't only for you to share, we were as bit as responsible as you, that is why we are sorry, sorry for not being better brothers, and if the furry peanut was still around we'll tell him we are sorry for chopping down the trees and you know being so dumb to ruin a four-creatures environment" they said all this at unison, to Once Ler knew that they truthfully mean it, he glanced at a corner of the house just to see the Lorax watching his intently, looks like he had hear the whole thing...he just nodded, he understood and forgot this two brothers. Then the Once Ler began reading the letters, and his face turned paler and paler as each word was read and as he scrambled three the pages.

"Oh my Seuss" he said ad he passed a hand over his forehead. "Now what I do?"

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

**Longer than expected but yeah :)**

**R & R**

**Ps. Father's day in on June 16th so be sure to give your father, (or mother) a cool gift ;)**


	2. A day with Carl and Letters of Once Ler

"Think in happy things, think in happy things, think in happy things" thought Ted all the way to his dad's place "Think of good things, think about...think about... trees! Yeah, that will do it, think in all the sprouts that are blooming in the valley, think of the Once Ler that is probably drinking tea with the Lorax, think of of..." he continued thinking but he didn't realize he started mumbling "Audrey"

"What was that, son?" asked the man looking at him intently apparently they have reached their destiny a few minutes ago, but as usual, Ted was daydreaming.

"Oh" Ted mumbled under the heave sight of his father "It's nothing Carl, just thinking about the trees..."

"Trees, uh?" said his father dismissively "they are good for lumber I suppose" Ted was about to give him a huge speech about the trees and their benefits but was interrupted again "Here is where I work, Ted" he said gesturing to a small business. "Finally I have my own workshop, so I can repair all the cars and machinery anyone could bring me" he said proudly

"That's good, Carl" said Ted with not much interest, he wonder how long will his father will actually keep a business running...this time.

"So, Ted, I heard you have an adventure outside of town..." he said as he opened a soda.

Ted eyes lighten "Yes, it was really good you see I meet..." he started but was interrupted

"You shouldn't have go" said his father cuttly to Ted's surprise

"What?" asked Ted dumb folded

"You hear me, you shouldn't have, there is polluted out there, also a monster who inhabits the wasteland..."

"There is not such..." tried Ted to say, but his father didn't listen

"A green monster inhabits it, it lives where the grass never grows and the wind is sour when it blows..." he said dead serious.

Ted had the urge of face palm himself, this man didn't read the news or anything, how could he miss the big adventure that gave the WHOLE (minus one) town a change of heart. "Carl, there is nothing of that sort out there, in the valley, that is now starting to become clean, lives..."

"But let's not think about that, son, let me show you the place" he said as he started walking.

Ted sighted, this was going to be a long LONG day.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"You see, at first we thought they were letters from Mother that she didn't send you, may be because her own pride..." Said Bret to the almost white Once Ler

"But as soon as we began fixing them, we noticed that it was obviously not Mother handwriting" continued Chet.

"Nor the way she addressed you" replied Bret again "so when we read the third one we were as white as you..."

The Once Ler continued it shock

"We get why you are so upset, if mother had hide us something like that to us we would be the same..." said Chet looking for his wallet.

Finally the Once Ler came to his senses. "B...but..I still find it hard to believe, he said as he scanned the third letter again "I mean..."

"Yeah, we get it, is not something to take lightly..." said Bret sighting "You didn't suspect a thing, back then?"

"Did you?" snapped the green robbed man

"Of course not, we would've told you, we were idiots at that time, but we weren't morons..." tailed off Chet

There was a silence

"We should leave" said Bret suddenly, "I promise Gina to be home by Tuesday" he said also taking off his wallet and doing the same as his brother hold a picture in front of the Once Ler.

"This ones are mine" he said with pride "The white haired girl, is my girl Hilda, and the twins in the pic are my two sons, Jonathan and Jonah" he continued pointing faces in the picture "Jonah hasn't married, I think he likes being a playboy" continued Chet frowning a bit "but Jonathan is happily married to a girl called Belle, they just had their own twins, little Tatiana and Olga, so they make me a very happy grand pa" he said while smiling and handing over the picture to his younger brother.

Bret took a picture out of his wallet

"I do have some extended family" he said pointing at a smaller photograph "My wife, Gina he said pointing to a girl that looked like a sweet cookie-baking grandma" he sighted a bit "We only had one kid, my lovely daughter Kayla, she will be twenty on next week and wants to travel the world before finishing college, that girl is pure brains, I bet one day she'll eat to much Italian food and split herself into two like a cell..." he said smiling "You know Oncie, she likes to invent and travel she is holding up the family name" he said winking "I think she owes to her uncle and I'm not referring to Chet"

"Hey" responded Chet a bit offended

"What I mean she looks uncanny similar to you" she even has a thing with the color green and is very fond of trees, I don't know who told her about them, but she loves them that one of her goals was to clone one...looks like it won't be necessary thou, but don't be surprised if one day she comes knocking at your door."

The Once Ler gave him a small smile and then looked back at the photo, Bret was right , she looked like a female version of his younger self..."

"You can visit anytime you like" said Chet suddenly "I think you can use a good Thanksgiving meal"

"Yeah, our doors are always open" added Bret heading to the door "Just call and we can come to pick you up..or you know, if you want may be we could bring the families here, everyone is very anxious to to know you, you are more or less a family legend.

"Thank you" responded the Once Ler quietly

"Sure,bro no pob" they said at unison as they leaved the house and hoped into a car.

"Beware with the sports!" called the Once Ler as he waved good bye

"Sure thing" both responded as they headed to the horizon

"Oncie, Good Luck!" they yelled until finally they disappeared. The Once Ler then entered the hose and let himself fall into a couch. Then he began to sob quietly.

"Beanpole?" asked the Lorax getting out of nowhere "Why are you crying? Does it has to do with the letters?" asked the furry creature grabbing them and reading them very fast. "I think you'll be happy that your brothers came to make peace..."

"I...I do not know, mustache, I don't know if I'm happy, sad or distressed..." he said as he cleaned his eyes with a handkerchief.

Then the Lorax read the third letter and his mouth opened like a little 'o'

"Beanpole...so what are you going to do?" asked the Lorax moving his mustache.

"I...I...I think I need to eat something..." he said heading to the kitchen

"And...?" added the Lorax

"Then I I think I have to go to town..."

-.-.-.-.-.-..-

**Review? I need feedback so that the story doesn't run out of control ^-^U**

**Be happy!**


	3. A Son's Rage and an Unexpected Encounter

"So, son" said Carl as he gestured twisted metals and scrap motors "This is my 'studio' here is where I sit and think what to do..." he said pointing to a dusty desk as Ted grunted. "Ant there is where I check the engines..." he said as he pointed to a big space with a big light above it, currently with a car high up. Then something catch Ted's attention, a slummy tail of oil that headed directly to the sewer.

"Carl" he said interrupting his father " why is there an oily trail to the sewer?" he asked as the horror on his face became evident. His father moved his hand.

"Well, where do you think the old motor's oil end up, son? Directly to the sewer as I've always..." he wasn't left to finish because Ted practically ran with an old bucked and put it below the leaking vehicle, getting all dusty and dirty.

"Son, what..." he wasn't let to finish because Ted began to shout at him

"Are you insane? You can't dispose motor's oil to the sewer! That will eventually led to the river and make the river even more polluted, the whole town is trying their best to rehabilitate that river so that Humming fishes, Swamy Swans and Barbaloos can come back to a safe place, and you are just ruining it all! If you need to dispose it, then take it to a treatment place, like the many are now on town, why should you always ruin everything?" he said the last part full with rage and sentiment.

His father was gazing at the floor. "I...I...I didn't ruin you..." he tried to say as a plea and as an apology, but Ted didn't recognize that, he was seeing red, all the feelings of twelve years of abandonment just reached to a breaking point.

"That's because you were never there to begin with!" he said as a single tear dropped from his eyes, he clean it quickly. "I only came here once a year, because mom practically drags me, bribes me or threaten me, but I'm_ twelve_, I'm not a kid anymore and I don't want to stay here any longer!" he said as he began walking out of the workshop.

Leaving his father with an expression of grief plainly shown on his face.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"So, how are you planing to go to town without breaking yourself into pieces, beanpole?" asked the Lorax with an uncertain gaze at the man that looked that was searching for foemthing in his old desk.

"I do have a way" said the Once Ler digging even further into the desk. Then his hand touched something hard. "Eureka" he said quietly as he took out a set of keys.

"Keys?" asked the Lorax with surprise "Do you have a car?" asked the guardian half wary, half surprised.

"Yeah, from my greed days" he said sourly "In my negation phase I destroyed and reconstructed the car at least twenty times, it still works, I suppose" he said heading to the basement.

"You have a basement?" asked the Lorax again

"Again , from my greed days, I was terrified someone would try to bomb the factory and steal my Thneeds..." he said as he uncovered a big bulge under a dusty old sheet, revealing an expensive green car, the Letters 'TOL' golden at the front, enough for only one person but with a motor that looked powerful enough to move at least forty five Barbaloos . Leather seats and open as a convertible. The Once Ler sighted at the view.

"I never thought I'll ever had to use it again, I hated myself for even owning it, but I couldn't destroy it, the old man who planned it and constructed it said it was his finest work, back then I didn't care, but after the whole fiasco I at least remembered the old man and keep myself from destroying it, I was already a monster, so I didn't want to make it worse..." he said tailing off to a cloud of memories. The Lorax snapped his fingers.

"Kid are you here?" he asked

"What? Oh yeah" he said as he hoped to the seat and inserted the key, surprisingly the car purred like a kitten. "Bingo" he said as he pushed another button that let the car rise from behind the house. "Either way , mustache, I won't use it in town, too suspicious, I'll leave it right outside and then walk in the. town..."

"Sounds like a plan" says the guardian "Do you still know how to drive? Remember the sprouts..." he said warningly.

"Once learn, never forgotten." he said as he put some protective gasses and remove his top hat, and put on a helmet. "See you to dinner mustache" ha said as he drive of with the letters on his pocket, ready to find out the truth.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Ted's dad was walking aimlessly on the street, thinking about his only son, truth to be told he didn't actually knew his son very well, he saw him once a year, with no mail, e mail or smoke signal between each other at any other time of year. May be it had to do that his mother raised him alone with her mother, where did she ever got the money to live at leisure without working was beyond his knowledge, but to be fair, he was only nineteen when he fathered the kid, they both were rebellious teens that just wanted to do everything different from their own parents. If he recalled correctly there was a big stain between mother and daughter regarding Helen's dad or something like that, something Norma had always keep shut about.

May be Helen wanted her kid to have the father she never had...

May be he had actually been a jerk when Ted was born...

May be...

His thoughts were interrupted when he bumped into someone thinner and taller then him, he realized to his surprise it was actually an old man.

"Oh, I'm sorry ,sir, are you alright" he said as he helped the elderly to be back at his feet

"Yeah, thank you" said the old man

"I was...I wasn't thinking, I'm very distressed about my son..."

The old man opened his eyes in surprise

"Well, young man I was thinking something of that kind too" he said brushing his mustache.

Carl didn't knew why, but it seemed that this old guy may actually help him with his dilemma.

"May I buy you a coffee, sir? Please accept it as an apology for bumping into you.

The old man blinked with surprise. He didn't knew why, but may be that punk could help him with his problem.

"Okay, I accept your invitation, kid, but better it be fast I need to find something...or someone..."

"Yes sir, after that I will even help you"

"That's a deal"

Carl continued "My name is Carl, Carl Black, what is your name, sir?" he asked as politely as he could.

The man seemed to think about it

"My name is The O..." then he stopped as if he remembered something "My name is Jonathan" he said with a sad smile "Jonathan Ler"

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

**Two persons that weren't meant to meet, funny how the destiny jokes with us, right?**

**Review? :3**


	4. An Envy and Carl's Story

Ted continued walking still fuming in his head. "Stupid Carl and his contaminating stupidity, stupid Father's Day, stupid day, stupid..." he wasn't aware that he had actually ended up in the main square where the statue of O'Hare once stood.

"Ted?" he heard somebody calling him, he raised his head and realized that just in front of him was Audrey and her dad."What are you doing here by yourself Ted? I heard from your mother you'll be busy all day..." she said tailing off

"Oh" said Ted snapping a little "Yeah, I just...uh...needed a walk..." he said awkwardly.

"Audrey, could you introduce me to your little fried?" asked one middle aged man.

"Oh, sorry Dad, this is Ted" she said gesturing the boy "and Ted, this is my Dad" gesturing at the man. Ted shook hands with the man politely, after all you need to get along with in-laws...

"So, young man, you are the one brought the last Truffula seed to the town?"

"Yes , sir" he said in almost a mechanical voice

"Please don't be so formal, my daughter explained the whole odyssey to me, you are a pretty brave young man."

"Thank you..." he said getting a bit more relaxed

"I bet your parents are very proud" he said affectionately and he gave his daughter a tight hug.

"Well, my mom and Grammy are proud" he said as light as he could hoping Audrey's Dad didn't push into that ONE subject he just ran away...

"How about your father?" asked the man

Ted's face froze for a good five seconds, leaving him speechless "Well...I..." Mercifully they both were interrupted by Audrey.

"Ted, can you believe it, the little sprout is almost four feet tall, I bet in no time it would be as high as a building..."

"Yeah, but the old Once Ler said it took ten years for a Truffula tree to grow completely..." he said blankly

"Ten years? Wow, we'll be all wrinkled by then" said Audrey with a smile

"Audrey, sweetie, we need to go" said Audrey's dad "Grand Pa is waiting for us"

"Oh" she said surprised "that's true, Well, I guess I'll see you around Ted..."

"Yeah" said Ted a bit disappointed "see you" he said as she walked with her father.

Ted, suddenly became sick, sick and sad, unlike Audrey's perfect family, he would never had someone to share that day with...or at least someone who cared an awful lot on Father's Day.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"So, what's your story, old man?" asked Carl as he grabbed a soda

"Why don't you start, kid? My story is even longer then yours..." said the Once Ler looking at the cup before him.

"Well..." Carl doubted "As long as you don't hit me, because I believe I made some jerk-y decisions"

"I doubt they are worst than mine.." he said adding some sugar to his tea

"Ok,so picture this: Thneedville High School, me like thirteen years less, quarterback from the football team , girls surrounding me, everything was perfect for me." he said smiling at the memory, "but then was this girl, she wasn't a saint either, but was an straight A student, she was the typical 'cool girl' good grades, only child, with money, rocking body even if she had those glasses in front of her, best of all? She danced Disco like a Goddess, did you ever meet somebody like that?" he asked the old man in green.

"She does sound like someone I meet before ..." he said thinking deeply

"Well, so I decided I wanted her to be MY girl, even if she wasn't a cheerleader, so we started playing one with each other, as I told you she wasn't a saint, she had a somehow reputation of being a heart-breaker, so I took it as a challenge and I guess she took me as a challenge to." he said as he gave a huge gulp to his soda.

"But also by the time she was dealing with problems with her mother, nice lady I have to admit, not that she liked me very much, but apparently it had to do something with her father that was never in the picture, but I don't get why she always complained, I mean, a few assumed that all her money came from said father, so why to alter the status quo? Either way as soon as I graduated High School, me being one year her senior , I suggested a crazy idea...to run away"

"Don't take it from me, but that sounds somehow stupid, she hadn't even graduated..." said the Once Ler "I bet her mother wasn't happy..."

"You bet she wasn't, I needed to dodge all the things she threw me that night, I mean, who trows a drawer full of knifes from a second floor? Now that I think about it I'm glad she didn't have an ax or a gun..."

The old men chucked "I also bet you are glad her father wasn't in the picture, or else he would have get a hold of a gun..."

"Well" he said scratching his back "In a way..." he sighted "So we ran away she bringing only a few things, I've just got a job on the other side of town in the Air Factory so we moved to the west side,we behave just like hippies, lot of love, if you know what I mean. It was work-dinner-love, a good paradise that lasted for a few months..."

"So, why did you stopped? Looks like you had a great life." questioned the Once Ler

"Yes, it was a perfect life...for two..." he said going another big gulp to the soda "Like a couple of month after we moved in together, well she told me she was expecting..."

"By your expression I may say that you weren't very happy..."

"To be truthful old man, I wasn't, and I put all the blame on her, I even told her to put the kid on adoption or something..."

"I bet she didn't take her well..." said the Once Ler "And for the record you were a total jerk, I'm glad she wasn't my kid..."

"She didn't take it well? On winter my cheek still hurts in the place she slapped me, I got to tell you she had a fine hand, she could have lived being a boxer or something, she looks now all tiny with her purple dress and her innocent glasses, but I still will bet all my few money that you don't want to piss her off.

"Did she leave?" asked the Once Ler realizing his tea was almost gone

"The next morning after I propose her to give the kid in adoption, she returned with her mother that was expecting her with open arms, as I tell you a very nice lady..."

"So I get you don't even know your kid" said the Once Ler sighting

"Oh, no, I do know him, after our whole fiasco I was called to court, 'cuz she put my name in the kid's birth certificate, so we got onto an agreement, she keeps him and I'm out of his life, at that time it sounded very sweet, I mean I didn't even need to give a dime! But for some reason I did agree in one condition..." he said as he looked at the sky "Hey is it me or the sky is bluer?, I would bet before it was a bit more grayish..." he said as if he was looking at the sky for the first time

The Once Ler sighted, kid this days, with the attention span of a Barbaloo cub. "The condition?"

"Oh yeah" said Carl getting out of his daydream "The condition is that he was to spend father's day with me..." he said the last part sadly

"So were is he now?" asked the Once Ler

"We had an argument, something about that the motor's old oil doesn't belong to the sewer or something..."

The Once Ler rose from his chair

"Of course it doesn't belong to the sewer! The sewer eventually led to the river and then the river would became even more contaminated, then the Humming Fishes couldn't return even if they wanted it!" he was very upset, no wonder his kid was also too, if that man's son was half the kid Ted was that there is no wonder they got into an argument about that.

"Whoa!" he said scratching his chin "That's almost exactly what he told me, I bet you and my son would get along very well..."

The Once Ler sat again.

"Sorry to be rude" he apologized "It's just that I've seen how is it outside of town and the river was in a pretty bad shape..."

"Outside of town?" asked Carl with his eyes wide "did you encounter the monster?" he asked like a little kid

"Monster?" he said rising a bushy eyebrow

"Yeah, a monster , green, sharp teeth, what was his name in the story? " he said questioning himself "Ocelor, Once upon, Oscar? Gee, I don't remember, but in the story he was a prince from a far away kingdom, that become a monster due his greed, I'd love to tell you the story complete by my son's grandma was the one who told it, long ago to all us kids in the park, there is where I met my ex I kept interrupting the story and she always shut me up" he said giggling "After your story I'll tell you where can you find her, the storyteller..."

"Sounds good" said the Once Ler faking a smile, of course he kind of know that story, it almost seemed that someone was romanticizing his own history.

"So old man..."interrupted Carl. "What's your story?"

.-.-.-.-.-.-.

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	5. An idea and Once Ler's Story

Ted realized that the main square of Thneedville was the last place he wanted to be, everyone were having a good time with their own fathers, he saw little three-years-old Mary getting pushed by her father in the swing, he saw the florescent kid Weaselly swimming with his dad in a nearby pool. Bottom line?

Everyone in Thneedville was having a wonderful Father's Day. If his memory served him correctly that meant that by the end of the day there will be fireworks and the Hot Dog and Hamburger stall will be giving free food in the main square, to end up a wonderful day.

Woo Ho

Sighting with resignation he decided better to go home,he knew his mother wouldn't be pleased but he could always wait in the backyard until midnight and then enter the house as if Carl had just dropped him. That sounded like a plan, so he began walking.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"My story..."said the Once Ler with his cup now filled "my story was sad even before this sad part"

Carl looked at him with a thousand questions in his eyes. "When I was young I had a mother a father and aunt , an uncle and two older brothers, we were a dysfunctional yet somehow happy family, my father tried to make sure of that." he said as his thought transport him to a far far away farm.

"Sound pretty cool" said Carl "my dad was always very busy..."

"You are darn right, it was cool, but sadly it didn't last long and my father passed away when I was six and my brothers ten."

"What happened to him, an accident or something?" asked Carl curiously

"No, it was a heart disease, he never had a very strong heart, literally not metaphorically, he died in his sleep, after that my mother stopped being the same, she became cold and bitter favoring only my older brothers and leaving me all the chores and stuff, it took me decades to realize it was because I was the spitting image of my father, so it pained her to see me. Still she wasn't very bright raising children my older brothers were almost rotten to the core, I don't know how they progressed but eventually they did."

"You were right about dysfunctional" said Carl quietly "So what happened?"

"Well, when I was old enough I began to travel the globe to find something I could do a business of, to make the story short I did found my paradise, and everything was great...for a while..."

"For a while? Man, I don't want to be rude but it looks that all good things only last for you for a while" he said drinking his third soda pretending he didn't see the eyes full of grief of the old man.

"Before my whole business came to the top I meet a beautiful lady, just like you mention your ex, cute glasses, hot tempered but sweet , rocking body and could do anything, once she decided something there was no human or alien force that could move her from her position." he said chucking "So we were teen in love, making everyone around us to get diabetes and cavities, we truthfully loved each other very much..." he said as he continued remembering that girl with her cute yellow dress running softly in the Truffula forest caressing Barbaloos and singing with humming fishes...

"If you loved her so much, what happened, like the song, if you like it you should put a ring on it" he said even singing that part "not that I'm the best example but now it seems logical"

The Once Ler fumed

"Yea, but there were two poisonous factors I didn't consider that poisonous back then..." he said as his gaze turned bitter and dark "My mother..."

"Geez, the in-laws always bring problems" said Carl thing to light the mood "what was the other factor?"

The Once Ler sighted heavily "My own greed"

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Half way to his house, Ted realized that he actually wanted to spend Father's day in another way that weeping on his backyard, so a great idea hit him, he'll get to his house and gab his mono-motorcycle and then pay a visit to the Once Ler and the Lorax, that way he may be could water the Truffula sprouts and spent the day in company with someone he really appreciated, translation: someone who wasn't Carl Black. Smiling at his new plan he practically ran toward his house that mercifully it wasn't very far away.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Greed?" asked Carl.

"Yes" you see when I was beginning I invited my whole family to join me in my succes, ans since I was somebody important now ,my mother showered me with affection and attention, but again she become manipulative. One of the first things she did was to keep me away from Norma..."

At this Carl almost choked with his soda "Norma, did he just said Norma?" he said as the color drained from his face. "Naa, it should be another Norma, no way she can be the same Norma, no no I'm just jumpy because I just remembered when she trowed knifes at me , yeah, that must be it..."

"Are you OK?" asked the Once Ler worried

"Oh, yeah sorry, I became to self absorbed in the story I forgot how to dink, my apologies,please continue good sir"

"So, she tried to separate us, at the beginning, she didn't success, and we became tighter than ever, we eventually..." the Once Ler stopped as a furious blush appeared on his face "we...we...we spend a lot of time together" he cleared his throat before continuing "but as the days went by my realization that I was powerful and rich sunk me in a deep ocean of greed, so deep that she eventually left and shortly after the company fell I was completely alone." he said with his eyes tearing.

"Hey, there" said Carl taking a napkin "Please don't cry old man, men aren't supposed to cry" he said winking.

"Yeah, you might be right, either way, today my brothers paid me a visit and we finally set peace, but they also brought me something that kicked me out of my house to come here."

"What was it?" asked Carl curiously

"The first one was a letter from my father, where he warned me the dangers of greed and to try to please others, it probably would've saved me from falling into greed in first place.

The second one was from Norma, she told me that she...she...she was expecting, of course I never received that letter, my mother made sure of that. And the third one...the third on..." he said as his lip trembled "The third one was also from Norma , informing me that I had a daughter...and her name is Helen..." he said as teas ran thru his cheeks "I was so happy when I read it but also very very sad, how could my mother hide something like that? So I came to Thneedville to know my child and..."

The Once Ler was interrupted when Carl hit the floor...hard.

"Kid!" said the Once Ler standing up "Are you OK?"

Carl seemed to regain conscious

"Yeah, but I don't think you are going to like me after I say something" said Carl nervously

"What is it?" asked the Once Ler with his voice still cracking.

Carl sighted.

"My...my...ex mother in law...is named Norma" The Once Ler opened his eyes as comprehension began to sunk "and the mother of my child...is named Helen"

They both stared at each other in silence.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

**The cat is out of the hat**

**What will happen?**

**Review and I may tell you ;)**


	6. Discovery and a Future meeting

Ted sneaked silently to his garage to grab his vehicle, hoping that neither her mother nor Grammy noticed him, apparently they were at the house, playing Scrabble furiously. Not like the way when Granny tried to break her mother so he could go to see the Once Ler no, this time it looked as if they were playing for a million dollars or for something very valuable, because as soon as one put a word, the other counterattacked with another and by the face of both, neither of them was willing to let the other win. Ted didn't know her mother could be so competitive, especially with her own mother. After a few minutes the match ended and they both looked at each other directly into the eye.

"I win" declared Grammy

Helen just fumed

"Is not your fault dear, you can't beat experience" she said as she ate a chocolate

"But why?" asked Helen as she rose from her seat "We have been playing for more than twenty years, and not even once I've won, you must be cheating" she said as she sat again and crossed her arms.

"As I say, dear, it's all part of the experience" said Grammy laughing a bit "Want to try your luck in chess?" said Grammy as she moved the Scrabble board.

Ted sighted silently, he guesses that was what they do when he wasn't home, he didn't know if to be scared of entertained, but just as he was leaving he heard something cryptic.

"One day I'll win, and you finally will spill the truth about Dad" said Helen as a warning

"The day you win I'll tell you dear..."

"Dad?" asked Ted to himself, now that he think about it, mother never, EVER mentioned her own father and Grammy never spoke his husband? Boyfriend may be? Whatever, she never spoke about the father of his mother, but as much as the curiosity itched in his back, Ted put his helmet and goggles and drove away.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"I think my ears are failing" said the Once Ler hitting his head a bit "but I could almost swear that you said that the girl in your tale was my daughter" he said moving his head.

"Um mm" said Carl scratching the back of his head "Yeah, basically that's what I said"

The Once Ler's gazes become hard as diamond. "You know, now I'm regretting Norma didn't have an ex back then" he said tapping his fingers as in an attempt to control his temper, he usually was a sweet person, he rarely explode or do something nasty, but having the guy who make his daughter suffer in front of him reveled a murderous aura out of his body.

"Hey! Calm down old man!" tried to reason Carl. "That was a long time ago, and if someone makes her suffer was you..." Carl hen covered his mouth, probably that wasn't the wisest thing to say to an enraged old man. But oddly enough that sentence shifter the fury on the old man's features to an expression of grief and desolation. And Carl didn't know if he was grateful or remorseful, after all it had been a low blow...

"Look old man" he said trying to sound peaceful "we both screw things up but I think we can make it better, I mean, you can go, uh, apologize I guess? And try to do a connection with her, both of them may slap you, throw you knives, yell that they hate you and other things, but deep down I'm sure Helen is carving to know you, you know to have a father figure after almost thirty years..."

The Once Ler looked at Carl, he may be a complete idiot, but he hasn't badly, he was a good idiot, and he supposes that was good, right? Then the Once Ler remembered something Carl had mentioned.

"I suppose you are right" he said sighting, but still feeling miserable. "But now I realize that according to your tale I have a grand kid..." he said getting hope in his voice.

"What?" asked Carl "Oh, yes! The kid" he said blushing a little bit.

The Once Ler rolled his eyes.

"So how is he? How old is he?" he flooded with questions the spiky haired man

"Easy, easy!" he said putting his hands before him as a defense

"Sorry", said the Once Ler "But I'm just really exited! I mean a grand kid?" he said with his eyes full of hope "A grand kid that that will grow with trees which is the best!"

Suddenly both man's stomach growled, apparently they had been talking for a while.

"Hey Old Man, I have an idea, let's go to the supermarket, they serve some excellent Chinese food in the entrance, come on, I'll treat you" he said with a smile that made him look younger.

"Ok, 'Carl'" he said his name uncertainly "but I want to buy marshmallows"

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Gee!" exclaimed Ted while he approached the city limits, "I forgot to buy the Once Ler something!" he said as he hit the brakes "But what can you give him..." he said thinking very hard then an idea struck him. "Marshmallows!" he exclaimed "I'll buy him two extra big bags of marshmallows, that'll do" he said as he turned around towards downtown to but the gift.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"Helen, dear, let's take a break" said Grammy Norma as she looked at her defeated daughter

Helen was in a dark mood "I lost again this year" she said with a black aura around her.

Norma sighted "Maybe just for being today, I'll tell you something about him"

Helen eyes opened a lot "Really, mom?"

"M hum" she nodded "but first you need to accompany me to the market, suddenly I have carving of marshmallows..." she said sighting deeply

"Mom, what about your sugar levels?" asked Helen worried

"Don't worry dear" she said smiling softly "I have my tricks under my sleeve" she said as she handed her the car keys.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

**First of all, sorry for the late update and Happy Father's Day to everyone.**

**I was a bit busy with the University entrance exams so, yeah, so I'm human ^-^U**

**I hope each one of you had a Happy Father's day with your dads, or moms. Mine wasn't that great; it coincidentally falls in the same day of the anniversary of my grandfather day, so the family was a bit down...**

**Moving on, hohoho looks like there will be a strange encounter in the Supermarket, don't you think?**


	7. Marshmallow encounter

Ted reached finally the store, but became worried when he began watching a lot of kids going out of the store with big marshmallow bags, he asked to the man that was just outside the store selling Chinese food.

"Why is everyone buying marshmallows?" he asked to the busy man

"Haven't you head , boy?" he responded with a thick accent "Today after the fireworks is going to be a big bonfire, you know sort of a camping site, so everyone wants to roast a lot of this, I think the cookies are also flying from the shelves he said as he put some salt to a dish.

"Oh, I didn't know" he said scathing his head awkwardly "Thanks, sir"

"You should go with your old man" replied the man after Ted has turned "It's father day after all..."

Ted sighted "Yeah, I'll do that" said as he went inside the store. He didn't notice that two men arrived just seconds after him to the Chinese food.

.-.-.-.-.-.-

"My good friend Han!" yelled Carl as he parked his motorcycle "How are you in this day?" he said removing his helmet.

"Carl" the man greeted "I haven't see you in a while, are you poor again? Because you know you can always get a job with me..." said the man increasing the fire to a pan.

"No, no, that's not the case, but thanks for the invitation"

"Who is your friend?" asked the man looking at the skinny man with the mustache

"He is...uh...well it's a complicated history" he responded awkwardly "But the important thing is that I brag about your food with him, and since I'm treating..."

"Say no more" answered the man "I'll give you the best food you'll ever tasted, especially for my best client" said the man focusing on the soup.

"That'll be great, Han, but first we are going inside to buy some marshmallows" responded Carl.

"Fear not, kid" said the man as if taking a challenge "You better hurry those are flying like warm bread, a kid just entered for the exact same thing...Nevertheless ,your food will be ready when you get out of the store..."

"Really?" asked the Once Ler with exceptisism

The man just glared at him "Do your business old man, your food will be ready before you can say 'Ma-Ke-Han'" he said with a competitive glare. The Once Ler was about to say something else when Carl covered his mouth.

"Thanks a lot Han" he said as he pushed the Once Ler slowly to the store. Once inside he removed his hand from the old man. "Dude, take it easy, that man doesn't like to be questioned about his food, it is the kind of man you never want to see his bad side, trust me" said Carl with a dead serious expression.

"O...K?" responded the Once Ler

Carl sighted "Let's get your candy so we can eat" he said as he took a basked and headed down the aisle.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Too bad Ted isn't here" said Grammy getting out of the car

"Yeah, but I think he is having a good time with Carl...I hope" said Helen frowning at the man's name.

"Relax dear, I bet he is having a good time" reassured Norma as they got close to the entrance. "Good evening Mr. Ma" she greeted to the man who was cooking furiously and bowing a bit.

"Good evening Mrs. Wiggins and Miss Wiggins" said the man pausing to reply with a bow.

"Why are you so busy?" asked Norma.

"Oh" he said resuming his cooking "One of my best clients came with a guest, and he bragged about my food and my efficiency, so I can't let him down" he said as he flipped a piece of meat.

Norma and Helen chuckled

"Then good luck Mr. Ma" responded Helen bowing a bit.

"Don't tell me you want to buy marshmallows" said the man

"Well, yes, how did you know?" asked Helen

"You are not the only ones, a kid just entered being followed by two men, searching the exact same thing, if I was you I'll better hurry, they are flying due the bonfire of today"

"Thanks for the advice" responded the two of them at unison.

As they entered the store they found the cashier busy packing bag after bag of marshmallows. Helen approached to an employee.

"Excuse me, where are the marshmallows?" she asked

"At the back, where the three aisles met, but hurry there aren't much left and a kid and a pair of men have just asked the same question.

"Thanks for the advice" she said as she approached to her mother. "I'll go ahead mom" she responded like if it was a Mission Impossible film.

"Good luck agent Wiggins" responded Norma as her daughter took the left aisle.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"I'll take the right aisle" thought Ted "I just go directly to it and grabbed before anyone.

.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Hey old man" said Carl "I'll take the center aisle, but I'll get ahead so they don't run out"

"Ok" responded the Once Ler "I'm just behind you. He said as Carl began jogging thru the store.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"I hear steps" though Helen as she looked that there was only one bag left on the counter. "Those will be mine" she said as she began walking even faster

.-.-.-.-.-.

"Only one bag?" Ted asked "Not what I expected, but that'll do, better hurry"

.-.-.-.-.-

As those three practically rash thru the sea of people, the two older persons followed close behind.

"This legs" tough Norma

"Aren't what they used to be" thought the Once Ler

At the same time Helen, Ted and Carl yelled as they practically jumped to the counter.

"THIS" yelled Helen

"IS" yelled Ted

"MINE" yelled Carl

At the exact same time the three of them grabbed the bag and began pulling.

"Kid this is mine" said Carl to the kid in blue shirt

"No way!" is mine said Helen

"Both of you are wrong this is mine" said Ted as he pulled harder. Suddenly the three of them stopped dead cold on their tracks looking at each other confused.

"Dear, did you get it?" said Norma as she got to the scene

"Hey kid!" said the Once Ler as he cached up with Carl "You better get that bag or I'll..." he stopped mid-sentence as he sat at the persons in front of him.

"Mom?" asked Ted

"Carl?" asked Helen

"Son?" asked Carl

"Son!" exclaimed the Once Ler as knowledge sunk

"Helen?" questioned Carl gesturing at the curly haired woman

"Helen!" replied the Once Ler as he looked at a younger version of Norma.

"Grammy Norma?" said Ted with a confused face.

"Norma!" exclaimed the Once Ler as he got pale as a bone

"Oncie?" asked Norma as she rubbed her eyes as if she was seeing a ghost.

"Oncie?" questioned Helen as he watched her mother spread a nostalgic smile.

"Wait a sec" said Ted gesturing to the Once Ler "Once Ler do you know Carl?"

The Once Ler stared at him from a moment as if scanning him, he certainly looked like him when he was a kid "I...I...I just met him this morning" he stuttered.

"Ted, do you know this man?" asked Carl

"Yeah!" he responded "He was the one who gave me the seed, you know the one who gave me the seed that changed the whole town minus one" he said with resentment "He is THE Once Ler" he said as he empathized the 'the' with pride.

"The Once Ler?" asked Carl again "You mean as 'the' Once Ler in Norma's story, the one that was consumed by the greed and never got to meet his..." he stopped as he watched at Helen again.

"Ted" asked the Once Ler with trembling voice "Is that woman really your grandma?" asked a bit unsure

"Yeah!" he said also with pride "She is the one who told me how to find you and what to give you How do you know her?"

They all stared at each other silently.

"But wait" said Ted scratching his head "How does everyone know each other?" everyone looked at him, he just pointed the elephant in the room.

"Well, I..." began the Once Ler

"Let's better talk outside" suggested Norma "I don't think we want to be kicked out of here due 'talk' we are going to have." they all nodded as they walk silently towards the door.

Carl hugged the big bag of candy as he moved swiftly to the cashier, with his eyes still in blank.

The cashier moved quickly and gave the bag as he walked toward the door where the confused group was waiting; he looked at the Chinese man.

"Han" he gulped "Make it to go" he said mechanically

The man looked at him questioningly "Why? Don't you all want to eat here?"

"I...I don't want anyone near a hundred feet of a knife" he said as he handed the money to the man.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

**Cliff changer?**

**Hell, yes :O**

**Remember More reviews=Faster Chapter**

**This will be a VERY interesting talk...**


	8. A Detailed Explanation pt1

It was awkward.

To put it simply, the situation was so tense and awkward that you could almost taste it. Helen was glaring constantly at Carl and looking at the Once Ler with a suspicious yet curious glare. Ted was glaring too, but his hatred was directed to Carl, while he watched in a rather suspicious way the way his Grammy and the Once Ler looked at each other. Carl noticing that people was glaring at him he concentrated in the tea he had in front of him, barely drinking, afraid a knife will lodge in his lungs if he asked for another one. On the other hand the glances between Norma and the Once Ler were the strangest of all, suddenly they looked like if they just wanted to hug each other and be together forever and ever, then they looked like if they wanted to murder and torture each other. The only time they seemed to be 'normal' was when they glances were directed at Helen.

"So, Helen..." said the Once Ler watching Norma

Helen turned to the old man at the mention of her name, but he wasn't talking to her, it was like a question to Norma.

"Yes" Norma slipped a bit of tea "Means 'torch'"

"I guess you never though any variants of Isabelle..." he said glancing down

The looked dangerously at him for three full seconds "Not for all the gold or Thneeds in this planet"

The Once Ler nodded.

The silence remained, until...

"Ok,that's it!" said Ted hitting the coffee table "What the hell is going on? Geez the things here are so thick you can almost cut them with a knife!" he said angrily

The Once Ler looked at Norma and Norma back at him, she made a very slowly nod.

"Ted, do you remember the story, right? My fall due my own greed"

Ted nodded, how could he ever forget it? It would be burned forever in his memory.

"Well, there was a part I omitted, because at that time I didn't thought it would be useful to tell you..."

Carl and Helen looked in awe as if they were going to watch an untold story in front of them.

"What do you mean?" asked Ted "you omitted something about the trees?" he asked in panic

"No" answered the Once Ler "Something regarding my past"

Ted watched him in confusion.

"Your past?" he said rising an eyebrow

"Yes, my past, because you know, not that long ago it was a girl..."

"A girl?" asked Ted dumbfound "So that's why you said 'When a guy does something stupid once it's because he is a guy, but if he does the same stupid thing twice it's to impress some girl' "

"Yes, even so with that phrase I wasn't talking about the same girl, when I told you that I was thinking about my mother"

Ted looked at him oddly "Your mother?"

"Yes" he cleared his throat "I cut the first tree to create a stupid Thneed, but I allowed the second one to impress my mother."

"Oh" said Ted scratching his head

"But given the case, is not my mother who I was talking about..."

Ted opened the bag of marshmallows as he stared at the old Once Ler that looked ready to begin another story, truth to be told it was something ominous about him that made Helen and Carl to look at him attentively as they passes the marshmallows between each other.

He cleared his throat

"It all started long time ago..."

.-.-.-.-.-.

_It was actually a bit before the Thneed boom. As I've promised the Lorax not to cut more trees I decided to go search about the Truffula trees by myself. I headed to the town as innocent as I could because I knew that if they recognized me they'll start to trow me all kind of food. So quietly as I could I went to the nearest , and only, bookstore._

_After searching for a while I decided on a book called 'Truffula threes and you'. Also for my spare time I brought 'Being an Entrepreneur in this crazy world' and 'Business for dummies'. I tried to sneak to the cashier to avoid reconoziction, but the owner of the store quickly recognized me._

"_Hey" she said "I know you you are the guy with the guitar and the jingle" she said while smiling._

_I was very afraid the she would start to trow me thing, but, much to my surprise it never happened. I removed my hands off my face to fin a freckled face still smiling at me._

"_You...you aren't going to trow me food?" I asked unsure_

_She laughed with the most beautiful laugh I've ever heard_

"_Of course not, silly, If I did that I'll probably damage the books"_

"_Oh" I said with a disappointed tone_

"_You are kind of strange" she said looking at me _

_I sighted as my humor depressed even more_

"_Strange but in a good way" she said as she saw my downer attitude "I mean why will I want to trow you food?"_

_This lighten me out, she didn't want to trow me food?_

"_Well, everyone in the town seems to enjoy it, even the nun" I replied frowning._

_She bit her lip_

"_I'm sorry, we really are not that mean, but truth to be told nothing new ever happens in this town so when you appeared it took everyone out of the routine..."_

_I didn't know what to say._

"_So why are you buying this books? Is not like the trees could produce much turfs to produce your...threeneed?"_

"_Well" I responded unsure "that's what I'm trying to figure out" I said awkwardly._

"_But, you are really living in the forest?" she asked suddenly "I mean you are not afraid?"_

"_Afraid?" I asked "of what?"_

"_Well", she said looking towards the forest "there is a legend about a guardian of the forest" she said taking out a thick book "there is a reason the town doesn't grow too much towards the forest, the legend says that if you cut down a tree the guardian will unleash his power over you..."_

_I wanted to laugh but she was dead serious._

"_So what's the name of this great guardian?" I said biting my lip_

_She looked at me almost secretive "He is called the Lorax"_

_I had to bit myself so I didn't laugh_

"_And...and...what does this Lorax looks like? Or what does he do?" I asked curiously, man I really wanted to go back to the forest and confront the Lorax about this..._

"_Well" she said opening the dusty book "legend says that he is tall as a truffula tree, with fur as a Barbaloos but with the color of twilight at six pm, has a big mustache with the color of the midday sun and clear eyes as the sky on a cloudless day..." she said it almost like a poem, even if it didn't rhyme._

"_I'll take my chances with this 'Lorax'" I replied smiling._

_She looked at me with concern filled eyes_

"_Just be careful, OK?" she said with a sweet voice_

_All my humor vanished, so I decided to do the braves thing I've ever done._

"_Hey, you know I actually know the forest very well now" I said scathing my head "So I don't know if you want to go to my place during this week, I'll prepare you a big batch of pancakes in appreciation for your concern..."_

_She looked at me for a second, directly in the eye._

"_How about Friday's morning?" she said at last "That's my day off..."_

_I blinked in surprise not once but twice._

"_S...s..sure" I said getting as red as as a Christmas light "I...I'll meet you at the north part of the town at 10..."_

"_Sure thing!" she said while blushing a bit._

_I walked out of the store filled with a irrational sense of optimism..._

_.-.-.-.-.-.-_

"Once Ler, it is cute and all, but can't we skip to the important point?" begged Ted

The Once Ler looked at him with a frown.

"Every part is important Ted, specially if you want to know the whole story..."

Carl sighted loudly, but received a glare from Helen.

"This is going to be a long evening" thought Carl...

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

**Guys!**

**I'm so so SO sorry for the big hiatus , but I was on a writer's block plus college, (by the way I was accepted and I'll begin on august 27th :D )**

**To make it up to you guys next chapter will be released during the week, Friday tops...**

**Be good and write a review (now is easier since it's a text box thing down here) **

**l**

**l**

**\/**

**Love you for your support :3**


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